Most people have heard the quote, “You have to learn to walk before you run.” And, of course, most human babies take a first few, slow steps when balance comes their way; they do not run out of their homes and down sidewalks during their first few seconds of coordination, though that would indeed be a funny sight, families chasing diaper wearing sprinters down the block on that special first step day.

That lesson in life that babies seem to understand so well – okay, it is possible that it is physical limitations and gravity feigning my implied understanding – is not easily mastered and accepted by people who have experienced a few more birthdays.

Whether men and women are learning a new sport, challenging themselves creatively, or deciding on a new career path, we all have this strange tendency to forget that time, practice, and trial and error lead to mastery. When we witness the pros doing what they do, we must remember that they have already been through the rigors of training.

From spiritual issues to the simple task of putting a puzzle together on the living room coffee table, we must have the patience to be what we are, before moving on to what we will be. And most serious personality flaws develop when people try and skip past the planning and development stages of life. There is a temptation to run as soon as possible, ignoring the necessity of training our technical leg muscles with a little bit of jogging beforehand.

One way to remember to take it slow when entering a completely new arena of challenge is to think about that baby taking his first few steps. He is discovering he can do something he has never done before. It is a new and exciting thing, an act that brings about a new level of mental stimulation. And that newfound freedom to move about is not without obstacles and challenges; linoleum floors, regardless of the adorable floral pattern, hurt when the baby falls face first upon the decorative covering. Chairs and stools do not offer the support that the baby soon learns walls and cabinets can. The baby experiments and learns, accepting and computing what works and what doesn’t.

We grown-ups, the ones with a nearly full database, can remember the exhilaration of discovery from watching a baby learning to walk before she runs. We can learn that the process of going from walking to running is just as important and mesmerizing as the day we have mastered the full sprint. Be patient when you walk; the day of speed and mastery will come, and the apprenticeship will be all the more memorable.

This is so true. It helps to be reminded that we all must begin at the beginning of any new endeavor-from learning about God, to writing, in the act of simply moving forward in any area of life. I like the mental picture of the diapered one sprinting down the street.